Thursday, December 27, 2012

(WT) Michael Moore despises his own country. Following the Newtown, Conn., shooting, the far-left filmmaker tweeted that he was not surprised by what had happened. The reason? “It’s who we are, plain and simple,” he wrote in the Dec. 16 message. “I hate to say it, but killing is our way.” Anti-American sentiments of this sort are what have made Mr. Moore a hero to the left and a very wealthy man.

Take “Fahrenheit 9/11,” his 2004 documentary blasting the George W. Bush administration, which grossed more than $222 million worldwide. Audiences didn’t flock to this flick for an accurate portrayal of the war in Iraq. The film’s trailer showed then-Rep. Mark Kennedy, Minnesota Republican, appearing to dodge a question about whether he would send his own family members to serve in the war he voted to support. Mr. Kennedy complained that his response about how two of his nephews actually were serving overseas was a detail left on the cutting-room floor.

In a 2009 interview, Sean Hannity experienced Mr. Moore’s blame-America-first impulse when the Fox News Channel host asked the movie mogul why he would defend homicidal socialist Fidel Castro. “What about the murder that’s been done in our name in the last decade?” Mr. Moore replied. The same year, Mr. Moore told Jimmy Kimmel that he shared “a bottle-and-a-half of tequila” with Venezuela’s Hugo Chavez, to whom he claimed to provide public relations advice. Mr. Chavez denied this ever happened; perhaps even dictators have their standards.

If only Hollywood could say the same. From its inception, the United States has been the world’s leading force for human freedom and economic prosperity. The Constitution is the greatest political document ever devised, enshrining a form of government that guards against arbitrary authoritarian rule and centralized statism. Our founding principles are the reason America is the greatest democracy in history. It also is why Americans have stood repeatedly on the side of human decency and civilization. In particular, the United States led the struggle against totalitarianism — helping defeat the Axis powers and, later, the Soviet Union. National socialism and communism were responsible for the slaughter of more than 100 million innocent victims. For this alone, Americans should take great pride in their country.

The United States — like any other nation or people — has its flaws. What distinguishes it, however, is its remarkable ability to self-correct, constantly striving to live up to its founding ideals. It is a beacon of liberty in a mostly dark world. Turning the camera lens on the real and imagined flaws may win applause and red-carpet invitations in Tinseltown, but it’s not America’s way.

In this holiday season, we should be grateful for the freedoms and opportunities the United States continues to offer. Mr. Moore’s assertions to the contrary, we are still the last, best hope of man on earth.